Pest Inspection Archives - Page 2 of 2

Posts Tagged ‘Pest Inspection’

Researchers Find Eerie Fossils Of Spiders With Glowing Eyes

Fossils are a source of fascination for many people, and many experts consider spider fossils to be among the most interesting and revealing of all fossil types. Not much is known about the evolution of spiders, which is why nearly every fossilized spider specimen surprises researchers. For example, last year, researchers unearthed a fossil that contained a 100 million year old spider with a tail. This discovery was completely unexpected, as researchers had no idea that a tailed spider ever existed. Now, researchers have discovered ten more spider fossils that contain interesting spider specimens that were previously unknown to researchers. Two of these spiders represent new species, and they possess another trait that has never been seen before in an ancient spider–night vision.

The eyeballs of some animals contain a membrane known as the tapetum which sits directly behind the retina. The tapetum causes an animal’s eyes to appear as if they are glowing when a light is flashed over their eyes in the dark. Most people have probably seen this “glowing” in the eyes of cats. The tapetum allows animals like cats, moths and owls to view the world in night vision during the dark of night. Now, in addition to many other nocturnal animals, the ten fossilized spider specimens also made use of night vision, as their tapeta is still visible if a light is shined over the fossilized specimen’s eyes. According to researchers, it is not often that a fossilized specimen’s visual system is preserved, but when this occurs, researchers can learn much about the nature of the specimen that is fossilized. The manner in which an animal’s eyes are designed can reveal a whole lot about how the animal survived. Most animals that possess tapeta used night vision abilities in order to hunt at night, in other words, these ten spiders were all nocturnal hunters. Although the ten spider specimens encased within the fossils are now extinct, they were quite similar to modern jumping spiders.

Do you know of any other arthropods that possess night vision?

Some Scorpion Species Have As Many As 12 Eyes And This May Explain Why They Glow In The Dark

Some people are deathly afraid of all bugs that exist on earth while others seem at ease in the presence of even the most intimidating looking creepy-crawlies. But it is hard to imagine anyone getting cozy with an arachnid that measures nearly six feet in length. Of course, it is hard to imagine a creature that does not exist, but the now extinct Pentecopterus decorahensis arthropod species did, in fact, grow to be nearly six feet long before eventually emerging from their ocean habitat to become the first terrestrial arthropods in existence. This species is the oldest known ancestor of modern day scorpions, and they were the first predatory animals to exist. In addition to looking just like a scorpion, only huge, the Pentecopterus decorahensis species possessed a spiked tail and had sharp claw-like features protruding from its head. While modern arachnids, like scorpions and spiders, do not possess these particular otherworldly features, there is a one remarkable physical feature that some modern scorpion species do possess–12 separate eyes.

All scorpion species are nocturnal, so visual perception is not the most important sensory ability that scorpions rely on in order to hunt and survive. This is why some scorpion species, especially cave-dwelling species, have not developed eyesight as an adaptive feature. Strangely, however, there exists some scorpion species that possess 12 eyes that are located in various bodily regions. In fact, some researchers even believe that a scorpion specimen is one big eye.

According to biologist Douglas Gaffin of the University of Oklahoma, the entire exoskeleton of a scorpion may actually be one giant photoreceptor that converts ultraviolet sunlight and moonlight into colors that are visible to scorpions. This would explain why scorpions glow under ultraviolet light, which is a feature that has been traced back to the earliest sea scorpion giant. Scorpions may have adapted to perceive light wavelengths that cannot be seen by most other animals, allowing them the advantage of finding shelter and prey during the dark of night.

Do you think that bioluminescence and visual perception are linked in other glowing arthropods?

Researchers Will Soon Develop A Robot That Can Think Like An Insect

28th December 2017
Pest Control
Robert John
no responses

Researchers Will Soon Develop A Robot That Can Think Like An Insect

For several decades researchers have concerned themselves with creating robots that are as small as flies. This has been a research goal for quite some time as tiny robots could prove useful in a variety of different ways. For instance, robotic insects could successfully locate victims of a building collapse by flying between fallen debris. Obviously, humans are too large for these particular search and rescue missions. Tiny robotic insects that are built with surveillance capabilities could infiltrate areas where people are held captive by hostage takers. This would allow for authorities to know how hostage-takers will respond to rescue efforts. Or such robots could be used as instruments of espionage. But forget about remote controlled robots that are as small as flies. Now, researchers are about to successfully build tiny robots that can think like insects. These robots would be able to control their own movements in order to avoid obstructions and to act appropriately to environmental conditions.

Until recently, building a robot that could alter its movements in accordance with wind direction would have required an amount of processing power that could only be possible with a device as large as a desktop computer. Obviously, this would not work, as the goal is to create a tiny bug-sized robot. However, the newly developed “neuromorphic computer chip” will make these insect robots a reality. This computer chip functions much like a tiny insect brain. Researchers are using the already developed “robobee” as a starting point for the eventual development of a self-guiding robotic insect. The current robobee is tethered to a remote control operator, but researchers are creating algorithms and sensors that will allow the robobee to avoid crashing. The new and improved robobee will also be able to sense wind gusts with hair-like sensors located on the outer surface of its body. The researchers responsible for the development of the insect robot are being funded with a one million dollar grant from the Office of Naval Research.

Do you think that the eventual completion of the self-guiding robotic insect will resemble a fly, or another small flying insect?

Posts Tagged ‘Pest Inspection’

Researchers Find Eerie Fossils Of Spiders With Glowing Eyes

Some Scorpion Species Have As Many As 12 Eyes And This May Explain Why They Glow In The Dark

Researchers Will Soon Develop A Robot That Can Think Like An Insect

Contact Us for a Free Consultation and get more information

Our great reviews and why you should choose us

J & J Exterminating, Inc.